Kolkata, Aug 16 — After the former Deputy Speaker of the West Bengal Assembly and ex-Trinamool Congress MLA Asish Banerjee was found dead in his home office at Rampurhat in Birbhum district on Sunday morning, a political slugfest erupted in the state.
Trinamool Congress legislator from Beliaghata Assembly Constituency in North Kolkata, Kunal Ghosh, who is one of the lead faces within the “original but minority” faction in the party with continued allegiance towards former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, demanded an “independent” probe into the death of the former Deputy Speaker of the House.
“In his suicide note, he had written that he was unable to bear the mental pressure arising out of the fear of social stigma. He could not survive even after being a ‘Good Trinamool’. The Bharatiya Janata Party should take responsibility for this. We want an impartial investigation into the incident,” said Ghosh.
By referring to the deceased leader as “Good Trinamool”, Ghosh hinted towards Asish Banerjee’s decision to shift to the “rebel but majority” faction in Trinamool Congress led by the expelled party legislator, Ritabrata Banerjee.
The BJP legislator from Rampurhat Assembly constituency in Birbhum district, Dhruba Saha, who defeated Banerjee in the recently concluded Assembly polls by around 24,000 votes, also expressed shock over the development.
“I met him a few days back. I still cannot think that he took such an extreme step. There should be an investigation into why a five-time MLA did such a thing and that too at this age. If necessary, an investigation should be conducted by another organisation. It should be investigated whether there is any other reason behind the development,” Saha told media persons.
At the time the report was filed, there was no reaction either from Mamata Banerjee or Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
A teacher by profession, Ashish Banerjee was a five-time MLA from Rampurhat Assembly constituency. He also served as the West Bengal Agriculture Minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee-led cabinet.
He had also held the post of Deputy Speaker of the Assembly during the previous regime. Since the landslide defeat of the Trinamool Congress as well as his personal defeat in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly polls, he remained almost incommunicado with his party's leadership.
In the interim period, as told to media persons by his family members, he also avoided political activities.